THE  APPOINTMENT  AND  TENURE 


OF 

POSTMASTERS. 

A PAPER 

READ  AT  THE  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF 

The  National  Civil-Service  Reform  League 

DECEMBER  12,  1895, 

BY 

RICHARD  HENRY  DANA,  ESQ. 


PUBLISHED  FOR  THE 

NATIONAL  CIVIL-SERVICE  REFORM  LEAGUE. 

i895- 


Publications  of  the  National  Civil-Service  Reform  League 


Proceedings  at  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  National  Civil-Ser- 
vice .Reform  League,  1882,  with  address  of  the  President,  George 
William  Curtis.  Per  copy,  8 cts. 

The  same,  with  address  of  the  President,  for  ’84,  ’85,  ’86,  ’87, 
’89,  ’90,  ’91,  ’92,  ’93,  ’94  and  ’95.  Per  copy,  8 cts. 

Civil-Service  Reform  under  the  present  National  Administration. 

By  George  William  Curtis.  (Address  of  1885.) 

The  Situation.  By  George  William  Curtis.  (Address  of  1886.) 

Party  and  Patronage.  By  George  William  Curtis.  (Address  of  1892.) 

Civil-Service  Reform  and  Democracy.  By  Carl  Schurz.  (Address 
of  1893.) 

The  Necessity  and  Progress  of  Civil-Service  Reform.  By  Carl 
Schurz.  (Address  of  1894.) 

The  Influence  of  the  Spoils  Idea  upon  the  Government  of 
American  Cities.  By  Herbert  Welsh.  (1894.) 

The  Reform  of  the  Consular  Service.  By  Oscar  S.  Straus.  (1894.) 

The  Interest  of  the  Workingman  in  Civil-Service  Reform.  By 

Herbert  Welsh.  (1895.) 

Tae  Appointment  and  Tenure  of  Postmasters.  By  R.  H.  Dana. 

(1895.) 

Civil-Service  Reform  as  a Moral  Question.  By  Chas.  J.  Bonaparte. 
Constitution  of  the  National  Civil-Service  Reform  League. 

Good  Government : Official  Journal  of  the  National  Civil-Service 
Reform  League.  Published  monthly  at  54  William  St.,  New  York. 
One  dollar  per  year.  Ten  cents  per  single  copy. 

It  is  the  aim  of  the  management  to  make  Good  Government  not 
only  an  aggressive  and  fearless  advocate  of  the  principles  of  Civil- 
Service  Reform  in  the  broadest  sense,  but  a perfectly  trustworthy 
record  of  the  current  history  of  the  reform  movement  in  political 
affairs  generally.  It  numbers  among  its  staff  of  editorial  contributors 
many  of  the  conspicuous  authors  and  orators  engaged  in  the  move- 
ment, and  some  of  their  most  important  papers  and  addresses  appear 
first  in  complete  form  in  its  columns.  As  Good  Government  pub- 
lishes yearly  an  exhaustive  table  of  titles  and  topics  of  its  own,  and  as 
it  is  one  of  the  group  of  periodicals  to  which  reference  is  made  in  the 
annual  supplement  to  Poole’s  Index,  it  is  a necessity  to  every  well- 
stocked  reference  library. 


For  other  publications,  see  third  page. 


THE  APPOINTMENT  AND  TENURE 

OF 

POSTMASTERS. 

A PAPER 

READ  AT  THE  ANNUAL  MEETING  OF 

The  National  Civil-Service  Reform  League 

DECEMBER  12,  1895, 

BY 

RICHARD  HENRY  DANA,  ESQ. 


PUBLISHED  FOR  THE 

NATIONAL  CIVIL-SERVICE  REFORM  LEAGUE. 


3^>\.6 

p&.vv\ 


PRESS  OF 

GEORGE  G.  PECK, 

NEW  YORK. 


0 3,  ’ 3 ’ 5 

3 3 , 0 3 3 a 

3 -)  3 > ’ 5 3 

3 3 V 3 3 3 


3,  5 3 

3 3 5 ’ 3 

3 *J  3’  3 3 


The  Appointment  and  Tenure  of  Postmasters. 


By  Richard  Henry  Dana. 


It  is  a curious  fact  about  our  so-called  “American” 
Spoils  system  in  politics,  that  we  spoil  not  a distant  enemy, 
nor  even  some  other  race  living  in  our  midst,  as  the  Turks  do 
the  Armenians,  but  we  despoil  ourselves  in  making  spoils  of 
our  own  institutions.  Nowhere  is  this  better  illustrated  than 
in  the  postal  service  of  the  United  States. 

Our  post-office  department  is  the  largest  department  in 
the  country,  and  on  its  efficient  management  depends  much 
of  our  material  and  intellectual  progress  as  well  as  our  daily 
convenience,  and  yet  we  have  been  letting  our  representatives 
strengthen  their  political  fences  by  making  frequent  changes 
and  unfit  appointments,  in  a way  that  would  ruin  any  business 
exposed  to  open  competition.  As  a result,  we  have  the  worst 
postal  service  of  any  civilized  country  in  the  world.  In 
Tokio,  Japan,  they  had  quite  recently  more  frequent  deliveries 
than  in  New  York  City,  and  there  are  improvements  adopted 
in  England,  France,  Germany  and  Italy  twenty  and  thirty 
years  ago  which  we  have  not  yet  adopted  at  all,  or  only  par- 
tially and  imperfectly.  For  example,  in  the  large  cities  of 
those  countries  there  are  numerous  branch  offices,  so  numerous 
as  to  be  for  all  practical  purposes  as  accessible  as  letter  boxes 
with  us,  where  stamps  or  money  orders  can  be  bought,  where 
parcels  can  be  weighed,  and  where  matter  can  be  mailed. 
When  with  us  a note  is  dropped  into  a letter  box,  there  it 
lies  untouched  for  one,  two  or  three  hours,  till  the  collector 
takes  it  out,  and  it  is  not  assorted  till  the  collector  deposits  it 
at  the  post-office.  When,  however,  it  is  mailed  in  one  of 
these  branch  offices  abroad,  it  is  -immediately  cancelled  and 
assorted,  so  that  the  time  which  would  be  wasted  in  the  letter 
box,  is  utilized  and  the  note  is  ready  for  direct  delivery  at  the 
first  call  of  the  carrier. 


1 


G 


c c c • C1  r K <•  1 < f ' c c 

This  expedites  the  local  city  deliveries,  so  that  a note 
mailed  at  a branch  office  is  delivered  almost  as  quickly  as  if 
seat  by  a'  private  Special  messenger,  and  this  again  so  stimulates 
the  local  use  of  the  mails  that  the  extra  expense  is  reported  to 
be  more  than  made  up  by  the  increased  sale  of  postage  stamps. 

For  some  twenty  years  or  more  we  did  nothing  towards 
adopting  this  plan,  and  not  only  was  all  the  time  lost  while 
the  mail  was  waiting  in  the  letter  box,  but  a letter  posted 
within  half  a mile  of  its  destination  often  had  to  be  carried 
two,  three,  or  even  four  miles  to  the  central  office  to  be  assorted, 
and  then  to  travel  all  the  way  back,  going  over  perhaps  eight 
miles  in  all  to  accomplish  a half  a mile.  We  have  very  tardily  < 
adopted  in  some  of  our  largest  cities  a few  branch  offices,  but  I 
so  few  and  far  between  that  they  do  not  half  serve  their  pur- 
pose. 

This  is  only  one  of  numerous  instances  that  could  be  cited 
to  illustrate  how  much  our  postal  system  has  been  spoiled. 

Not  only  in  detail  has  it  been  thus  spoiled,  but  so  much 
have  the  postmasters-general  and  their  assistants  been  occu- 
pied with  the  distribution  of  patronage  that  they  have  not 
had  the  time  to  attend  to  the  organization  of  the  department. 

For  example,  a business  man  appointed  postmaster  General 
writes  to  some  of  the  model  postmasters  to  consult  with  him 
on  the  business  of  the  service.  On  account  of  the  pressure  1 
of  Congressmen  he  is  unable  to  fix  a date  before  the  June  | 
after  his  inauguration  in  March,  but  even  then  these  model 
postmasters  get  no  further  than  his  ante-room,  where  they 
vainly  wait  many  valuable  hours,  while  'the  office-seekers, 
under  the  wing  of  members  of  Congress,  pass  in  before  them. 

At  last,  after  about  a week  of  waiting,  one  of  these  model 
postmasters  gets  into  the  inner  room,  and  finds  the  Postmaster 
General  engaged  in  a discussion  with  a negro  postmaster  of  a 
small  town  in  the  South  over  the  question  whether  the  ap- 
pointment should  not  be  revoked,  not  on  the  ground  of  unfit- 
ness, but  because  of  a rumor  that  this  negro  had  once  attended 
a Democratic  caucus.  After  some  quarter  of  an  hour  con- 
sumed over  this  question,  so  vastly  important  to  the  postal 
service,  the  Postmaster-General  has  a moment  or  two  to  shake 
hands  and  explain  that  the  business  consultation  must  be  post- 
poned till  the  next  August,  as  he  is  overwhelmed  with  the 
pressure  for  places.  This  story  I tell  not  as  illustrating  the 


s 


work  of  any  one  man,  but  of  the  heretofore  usual  duties  of 
this  cabinet  position  in  general. 

As  a result,  the  organization  of  the  department  is  on  the 
same  basis  that  it  was  under  Franklin,  when  there  were  75 
post-offices  in  the  country.  When  ordinary  business  grows 
large  it  is  subdivided.  The  express  companies,  for  example, 
are  divided  into  districts,  with  a superintendent  for  each.  So 
with  the  great  railroads  and  with  the  post-offices  in  Great 
Britain;  so  with  an  army.  But  in  the  United  States  postal 
service  there  is  nothing  between  the  bureau  at  Washington 
and  the  postmasters.  It  is  like  an  army  with  no  majors,  no 
colonels, no  brigadier  generals ; in  fact,  with  no  officers  between 
the  general-in-chief  with  his  staff  and  the  captains  of  compa- 
nies. 

All  the  questions  relating  to  the  wants  of  the  various  post- 
masters have  practically  to  be  passed  on  by  two  clerks  at 
Washington,  who  are  too  far  off  to  be  able  to  judge  of  the 
circumstances.  Apparently  they  have  to  decide  by  lot  in 
most  cases,  granting  one-fourth  or  one-eighth  of  the  requests, 
as  it  may  be,  in  proportion  to  the  appropriation.  For  example, 
from  the  Boston  post-office  is  sent  a request  for  a New  England 
Directory;  price  $7.50.  The  request  is  denied.  As  a con- 
sequence a clerk  at  a salary  of  $750  a year  has  to  be  detailed 
to  make  out  a list  of  names  needing  further  addresses,  go  out 
and  look  over  the  directories  belonging  to  some  business  men, 
as  a favor,  and  bring  back  the  desired  addresses,  to  the  great 
loss  of  money  to  the  office  and  delay  to  the  re-addressed 
letters. 

Again,  here  are  two  towns,  one  25  and  the  other  29  miles 
from  Boston,  and  about  four  miles  apart,  with  railroad  con- 
nection between  them.  The  letters  from  one  to  the  other  are 
sent  all  the  way  to  Boston,  there  to  be  assorted  and  sent  back 
to  the  other  town,  taking  on  an  average  about  a day  and  a 
half.  There  is  much  correspondence  between  the  two  places. 
Who  is  to  make  the  short  cut  ? 

The  only  persons  officially  charged  with  changing  the 
routes  are  in  Washington.  They  have  no  idea  of  the  merits 
of  the  case.  The  postmasters  of  these  two  towns  may  write 
to  Washington,  but  it  is  supererogation  on  their  part  if  they 
do,  and  they  are  usually  told,  in  reply,  to  attend  to  their  own 
business.  The  only  way  to  have  the  change  made  is  for  the 


6 


prominent  men  of  both  towns  to  bring  pressure  to  bear  on  the 
department  and  to  make  the  life  of  their  Congressman  miser- 
able till,  after  perhaps  two  years  of  agitation,  at  a great  per- 
sonal sacrifice,  the  change  is  at  last  made. 

Indeed  it  is  one  of  the  greatest  tributes  possible  to  the 
versatility  and  natural  business  talent  of  the  American  people 
that  amid  all  these  frequent  political  changes  of  postmasters 
and  this  utter  want  of  organization  the  business  of  the  depart- 
ment is  carried  on  at  all. 

That  the  people  of  the  United  States  do  not  rise  and  de- 
mand a better  service  is  because  they  have  not  seen  any 
better,  and  do  not  know  of  the  possibilities  of  a really  good 
post-office  department.  It  is  only  a small  portion  of  the  small  , 
minority  who  travel  abroad  that  have  intelligently  observed 
and  compared  our  postal  system  and  that  of  other  civilized 
countries. 

Let  us  only  hope  that  the  future  historian  may  not  judge 
our  present  advancement  in  civilization  and  intelligence  by 
the  workings  of  the  greatest  of  our  national  departments.  If 
any  proof  is  required  that  it  is  the  spoils  system  which  has 
spoiled  our  postal  service,  it  is  to  be  found  in  the  records  of 
the  railway  mail  service.  For  a number  of  years  there  has 
been  kept  a separate  account  of  the  number  of  pieces  correctly 
distributed  in  that  branch  of  the  service  and  the  number  of 
errors.  During  the  twelve  months  covered  by  the  last  year 
of  the  administration  of  President  Arthur,  following  a pre- 
vious Republican  administration,  in  neither  of  which  was  the 
railway  mail  service  looted,  though  the  appointments  were 
confessedly  political,  the  number  of  correct  distributions  to 
one  error  had  reached  the  high  number  of  5,575.  On  the 
incoming  of  the  Cleveland  administration  m^Sy>etqovals  were 
made  on  political  grounds,  and  the  record  fell  to  3,364,  rising 
again  to  nearly  4,000,  after  the  men  had  got  used  to  their 
work,  in  the  last  year  of  his  administration.  On  the  incoming 
of  the  Harrison  administration,  as  all  will  remember,  the  rail- 
way mail  service  was  looted,  and  that  with  unprecedented 
rapidity  of  removals,  as  the  civil  service  law  was  to  go  into 
operation  a few  months  after  the  inauguration.  As  a result, 
the  number  of  correct  distributions  fell  to  2,834  to  each  error, 
the  lowest  number  on  record.  Since  then  the  railway  /nail 
has  been  under  civil  service  rules.  In  two  years  it  reached 


7 


the  highest  previous  record,  the  next  year  passed  it,  last  year 
came  up  to  7,831,  and  this  year  (1895)  to  the  truly  wonderful  re- 
cord of  8,894.  To  fortify  these  telling  statistics  let  me  quote 
from  the  language  of  the  General  Superintendent  of  the  Rail- 
way Mail  Service  # the  following  : “ The  civil  service  laws  and 
regulations  as  applied  to  the  Railway  Mail  Service  accomplish 
all  the  most  sanguine  expected.  The  eligibles  for  appoint- 
ment who  have  been  certified  and  selected  excel  in  the  funda- 
mental qualities,  such  as  suitable  age,  good  physical  condition 
and  habits,  activity  and  retentiveness  of  memory,  and  prospec- 
tive growth  and  length  of  useful  service. 

Having  such  desirable  undeveloped  material  to  work  upon, 
the  management  experience  less  difficulty  in  molding  it  into 
well-disciplined,  industrious,  thoughtful,  efficient  clerks.  A 
much  larger  per  cent,  of  the  probationers  succeed  \n  earning 
permanent  appointments,  and  under  the  system  of  develop- 
ment which  obtains  in  the  service,  they  continue  to  improve 
during  their  connection  with  it;  and,  as  opportunities  occur,  are 
advanced  in  class  according  to  their  merits.  In  the  judgment 
of  this  office,  the  present  efficiency  could  not  have  been 
obtained  under  any  other  method.” 

Again,  the  record  in  the  post-offices  outside  of  the  railway 
mail  tells  the  same  story.  It  is  well  remembered  how  rapidly 
the  official  heads  of  the  postmasters  fell  under  the  axe  of  the 
headsman  Mr.  Clarkson.  As  a result,  the  number  of  com- 
plaints the  next  year  increased  36  per  cent.,  and  the  number 
of  “losses  chargeable  to  carelessness  or  depredation  of  postal 
employees”  increased  64  per  cent.,  according  to  the  official 
reports.! 

Important  as  are  efficiency  and  economy  in  our  vast  postal 
business,  yet  these  are  not  the  subjects  that  concern  us  most. 
Were  they  the  only  issues,  we  should  not  be  here.  It  is 
because  of  the  corrupting  influence  of  the  spoils  system  on  our 
politics  and  the  danger  to  our  liberties  that  so  many  busy  per- 
sons annually  meet  to  discuss  the  reform  of  our  civil  service. 
In  no  branch  is  the  danger  to  our  liberties  so  great  as  in  the 
postal  service.  It  composes  more  than  half  of  our  whole  civil 
list.  There  are  over  70,000  postmasters,  or  about  one  to  every 
130  voters;  and  if  every  postmaster  can  muster  five  friends, 


* Report  P.  M.  Gen’l  1894,  p.  395. 

t Reports  of  the  Postmaster  General,  1889,  p.  167,  and  1890,  pp.  177  and  179. 


8 


they  together  make  420,000,  one  in  29  voters,  or  a clear 
majority  of  all  persons  taking  an  active  partin  our  nominating  l 
machinery.  The  postmasters,  being  scattered  in  every  village 
and  hamlet  in  the  country,  are  from  their  situation  more  useful  ! 
in  manipulating  delegates  to  large  conventions  than  the  same 
number  of  employees  gathered  together  in  one  or  two  places. 

As  to  corruption,  we  have  seen  the  bargaining  of  postmaster- 
ships at  conventions  in  trade  for  votes  of  delegates,  to  say 
nothing  of  selling  them  by  Congressmen  or  defeated  candi- 
dates for  Congress  of  the  dominant  party  for  ready  money.  j 

We  give  special  welcome,  therefore,  to  the  messenger  bring-  j 
ing  us  news  that  the  postmasterships,  or  any  number  of  them,  f 
have  permanently  been  fortified  against  the  raids  of  the  Kurd-  j 
ish-like  spoilsmen,  and  the  recent  order  of  the  President  has  a j 
peculiar  and  almost  absorbing  interest;  it  cheers  the  heart  and 
brings  hope  to  the  breast. 

Those,  who  have  given  special  attention  for  several  years 
past  to  the  possible  ways  of  bringing  postmasters  under  the  1 
reform  system,  agree  that  if  the  plan  contemplated  in  this  order 
is  carried  out  we  shall  have  the  most  important,  if  not  the 
greatest  in  number,  of  the  postmasters  taken  out  of  politics, 
and  incidentally  the  business  organization  of  the  postal  depart- 
ment greatly  improved. 

In  1889  I read  a paper  before  this  League  on  the  subject, 

“ The  Post-Offices  to  be  Taken  out  of  Politics.”  The  plan  I 
suggested  was,  first,  dividing  the  country  into  postal  districts, 
with  a superintendent  over  each;  next,  appointing  the  presi- 
dential postmasters  by  way  of  promotion  of  other  postmasters 
or  of  postal  employees  within  the  classified  service  of  the  dis- 
trict, putting  all  fourth  class  postmasters  with  a salary  above 
$500.  under  civil  service  rules,  and  for  the  rest  of  the  places, 
with  lower  salaries,  to  make  the  declaration  by  law  or  executive 
order  that  neither  removals  nor  appointments  should  be  made 
on  political  grounds,  allowing  no  removals  except  after  a hear- 
ing and  on  the  reports  of  post-office  inspectors  who  were  then 
as  now  under  civil  service  rules,  and  that  appointments  should 
be  made  under  regulations  substantially  like  those  incorporated 
in  what  has  since  been  called  the  Lodge  Bill  for  the  appoint- 
ment of  fourth-class  postmasters. 

The  plan  now  proposed  by  the  President  and  Postmaster 
General  is  to  consolidate  as  far  as  possible  neighboring  offices 


9 


with  larger  ones,  as  has  been  so  successfully  done  in  Boston 
and  its  vicinity,  only  including  many  more  post-offices,  so  that 
all  the  post-offices  in  the  eastern  part  of  Massachusetts,  for 
example,  should  be  part  of  the  Boston  office.  In  this  way 
the  districting  of  the  post-offices  is  largely  effected.  Next,  all 
the  offices  thus  consolidated,  including  the  postmasters  of  the 
annexed  offices,  who  will  henceforward  be  superintendents, 
are  by  the  order  put  under  civil  service  rules.  In  this  way 
most  of  those  who  have  heretofore  been  presidential  postmas- 
ters of  the  second  and  third  classes  will  be  appointed  by  pro- 
motion, and  the  lower  positions  will  be  filled  by  competitive 
examination  conducted  by  the  civil  service  commission. 

By  making  the  postmasters  of  the  subordinate  offices  into 
superintendents,  our  old  enemy,  the  four-year  law  of  1820,  is 
shorn  of  more  than  half  its  power  for  ill,  for  second  and  third 
class  presidential  postmasters  made  up  more  than  half  of  all  the 
officers  to  whom  the  law  applied. 

One  difficulty,  however,  still  remains,  and  that  is  to  decide 
how  to  treat  the  fourth-class  postmasters  with  small  salaries. 
In  order  to  understand  the  situation,  it  must  be  remembered 
that  of  the  66,500  fourth-class  postmasters  the  average  salary 
is  only  $167  a year,  and  about  47,000  have  a salary  of  under 
$200. 

If  a clerk  with  a salary  of  $750  a year  were  substituted  for 
each  fourth-class  postmaster,  it  would  cost  the  department 
$39,000,000  a year.  By  the  new  order,  however,  the  diffi- 
culty seems  to  be  less  than  it  would  be  under  the  operation  of 
the  Lodge  Bill  alone.  If  any  fourth-class  post-office,  consoli- 
dated under  the  order  has  too  small  a salary  to  invite  competi- 
tion, it  can  be  treated  just  as  some  other  places  for  which  there 
is  no  competition  are  now  treated  under  the  civil  service  rules. 
If  no  persons  apply  for  a competitive  examination  for  a position, 
then  none  is  held,  and  a pass  one  is  substituted.  (Clause  7, 
section  2,  of  the  civil  service  law.)  The  only  precaution  nec- 
essary is  not  to  allow  promotion  from  positions  so  filled  with- 
out an  examination  which  is  competitive,  so  as  to  prevent  a 
well  known  way  of  evading  the  law.  This  point  seems  to  be 
at  least  partly  covered  by  the  civil  service  rules  now  in  force. 
(General  Rule  III.,  clause  2 (c),  and  Postal  Rule  2,  clause  6). 
But  I believe  many  persons  would  apply  for  competition  for 
a position  under  this  order,  with  its  possible  promotion  ahead, 


IO 

who  would  never  do  so  for  the  place  alone  by  itself.  But  few 
would  care  to  embark  in  a small  boat  to  cross  the  ocean,  with 
the  additional  risk  of  being  tipped  out  on  purpose  when  not 
quarter  through  the  voyage,  but  many  will  gladly  get  in  a 
small  boat  to  be  rowed  to  a larger  vessel,  with  a good  chance 
of  staying  aboard  the  latter  till  transferred  to  still  larger. 

Again,  it  must  be  remembered  that  many  fourth  class  post- 
masters are  allowed  to  supplement  their  salaries  by  keeping  a 
store  or  by  being  a clerk  in  a store  in  which  the  office  is  situ- 
ated, just  as  is  the  case  with  some  of  the  smaller  consulates. 
Indeed,  it  is  the  custom  the  post-office  brings  to  the  store  that 
gives  the  post-office  its  chief  value  in  many  small  towns. 

Under  the  order  and  proposed  plan  of  extensive  consolida- 
tion we  shall  have  some  3,000  presidential  post-offices  taken 
out  of  the  operation  of  the  four-year-term  law,  and  these, 
together  with  their  subordinates  and  perhaps  at  first  5,000 
fourth-class  postmasters,  and  later  possibly  20,000  more,  put 
under  civil  service  rules.  Every  one  who  enters  at  the  lower 
grades  knows  he  has  entered  a profession  where  he  may,  by 
faithful  and  able  work,  rise  to  the  head  of  a large  consolidated 
post-office,  and  we  also  get  a substantial  subdivision  of  the 
post-offices  into  districts,  with  a head  postmaster  in  charge  of 
each. 

This  is  a most  important  gain.  It  will  eventually  bring 
under  civil  service  rules  twice  as  many  new  positions  as  were 
originally  classified  when  the  Pendleton  Bill  was  passed. 

On  the  basis  of  the  present  national  civil  service,  the  ad- 
ditions under  this  order  will  make  the  whole  classified  service 
nearly  if  not  more  than  one-half  the  whole  civil  list. 

With  this  it  seems  the  back  of  the  spoils  monster  is  broken, 
and  it  only  remains  for  us  to  complete  the  work  in  good 
fashion. 

To  complete  the  work  as  far  as  the  post-office  department 
is  concerned,  for  the  places  above  the  scope  of  the  present 
plan  the  four-year  law  should  be  repealed  either  by  law  or  in 
substance  by  establishing  an  executive  custom  of  reappointing 
the  postmasters  at  the  head  of  these  consolidated  offices  on 
the  expiration  of  their  terms  and  filling  vacancies  among  these 
postmasters  by  promotion,  and  also  by  putting  all  the  positions 
except  those  of  Postmaster  General  and  his  private  secretary 
within  the  classified  service,  and,  for  the  places  below  the 


1 1 

scope  of  this  present  order,  namely,  the  scattered  fourth-class 
offices  with  small  salaries,  too  distant  from  a large  office  to  be 
consolidated,  I should  apply  the  principles  of  the  Lodge  Bill* 
for  selection  of  applicants;  and  to  that  I should  add  that  no 
removals  should  be  made  except  after  giving  the  postmaster 
notice  of  the  charges  and  a chance  to  be  heard,  and  only  on 
the  report  of  the  inspector  or  other  official  hefore  whom  the 
hearing  took  place.  By  the  official  report  of  an  “ off  year  ” 
for  political  changes  (1887),  it  appears  that  more  than  one-half 
the  removals  were  made  on  reports  of  inspectors.  Why  not 
require  that  all  removals  should  be  made  on  official  reports  ? 
Suspension  during  investigation  would  cover  all  cases  of  need 
of  immediate  procedure  on  account  of  criminal  acts. 

When  all  this  is  done,  and  when  some  more  extensions  in 
other  departments,  now  contemplated  which,  1 am  informed, 
will  include  some  17,000  more  places,  have  been  made,  we 
may  know  that  not  only  is  the  back  of  the  spoils  monster 
broken,  but  that  the  work  of  extermination  is  practically  com- 
pleted, and  we  may  prepare  to  attend  the  funeral  obsequies, 
keeping,  however,  our  eye  open  all  the  while  and  our  hand  at 
the  sword  hilt,  lest  some  hydra  head  spring  to  life  again. 


* H.  R.  Doc.,  No.  7707,  51st  Congress,  ist  session. 


Publications  of  the  New  York  Civil-Service  Reform  Asson 


Purposes  of  the  Civil-Service  Reform  Association.  Per  copy,  5 cts. 
The  Beginning  of  the  Spoils  System  in  the  National  Govern- 
ment, 1829-30.  (Reprinted,  by  permission,  from  Parton’s  “Life 
of  Andrew  Jackson.”)  Per  copy,  5 cts. 

The  Spoils  System  and  Civil-Service  Reform  in  the  Custom- 
House  and  Post-Office  at  New  York.  By  Dorman  B.  Eaton. 
136  pages,  8vo.  Per  copy,  15  cts. 

Term  and  Tenure  of  Office.  By  Dorman  B.  Eaton.  Second  edition, 
abridged.  Per  copy,  15  cts. 

The  Danger  of  an  Office-Holding  Aristocracy.  By  E.  L.  Godkin. 

Per  copy,  5 cts. 

Daniel  Webster  and  the  Spoils  System.  An  extra#  from  Senator 
Bayard’s  oration  at  Dartmouth  College,  June,  1882. 

A Primer  of  Civil-Service  Reform,  prepared  by  George  William 
Curtis.  (English  and  German  Editions.) 

The  Workingman’s  Interest  in  Civil- Service  Reform.  Address  by 
Hon.  Henry  A.  Richmond. 

Annual  Reports  of  the  C.  S.  R.  A.  of  New  York  for  the  years 
1883-1895  inclusive. 

Constitution  and  By-Laws  of  the  New  York  Association. 


MISCELLANEOUS. 

The  “Pendleton  Bill.”  Bill  to  Regulate  and  Improve  the  Civil-Service 
of  the  United  States,  as  approved  January  16,  1883. 

State  Civil-Service  Reform  Acts  of  New  York  and  Massachu- 
setts. 

Decisions  and  Opinions  in  Construction  of  the  Civil-Service  Laws. 

Per  copy,  15  cts. 

The  Competitive  Test.  By  E.  M.  Shepard. 

The  Meaning  of  Civil-Service  Reform.  By  E.  O.  Graves. 

The  Selection  of  Laborers.  (In  English  and  German  Editions).  By 
James  M.  Bugbee  late  of  the  Massachusetts  Civil- Service  Commission. 

The  Workingman  and  Civil- Service  Reform.  What  Can  He  Do 
About  It. 

Report  of  Select  Committee  on  Reform  in  the  Civil  Service 

(H.  R.),  regarding  the  registration  of  laborers  in  the  United  States 
Service. 

Report  of  same  Committee  regarding  selection  of  Fourth-Class 
Postmasters. 

George  William  Curtis.  A commemorative  address  by  Parke  Godwin. 
(Published  by  the  Century  Association).  10  cents  per  copy. 

(A  charge  is  made  only  where  the  price  is  given.) 


Orders  for  the  publications  will  be  filled  by  George  McAneny,  Secre- 
tary, 54  William  St.,  New  York,  or  by  G.  P.  Putnam’s  Sons,  27am!  29  West 
23d  St.,  New  York. 


PRESIDENT: 


CARL  SCHURZ. 

SECRETARY : TREASURER : 

GEORGE  McANENY.  WM.  JAY  SCHIEFFEL1N, 

VICE-PRESIDENTS: 


CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS, 

HENRY  HITCHCOCK, 

AUGUSTUS  R.  MACDONOUGH, 

HENRY  C.  LEA, 

RT.  REV.  HENRY  C.  POTTER, 

FRANKLIN  MACVEAGH, 

J.  HALL  PLEASANTS, 

RT.  REV.  STEPHEN  N.  RYAN, 

WILLIAM  POTTS. 

EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE 


WM.  A.  AIKEN, 

HERBERT  WELSH, 

CHARLES  J.  BONAPARTE, 

WILLIAM  G.  LOW, 

SILAS  W.  BURT, 

A.  R.  MACDONOUGH, 

EDWARD  CARY, 

WILLIAM  POTTS, 

CHARLES  COLLINS, 

CHARLES  RICHARDSON, 

LUCIUS  B.  SWIFT, 

SHERMAN  S.  ROGERS, 

RICHARD  H.  DANA, 

CARL  SCHURZ, 

JOHN  W.  ELA, 

EDWARD  M.  SHEPARD, 

WILLIAM  DUDLEY  FOULKE, 

MOORFIELD  STOREY, 

RICHARD  WATSON  GILDER, 

EVERETT  P.  WHEELER, 

MORRILL  WYMAN,  JR. 

Office  of  the  League , 

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